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        <title>Christian Daily International | Africa</title>
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        <description><![CDATA[Africa news from Christian Daily International providing biblical, factual and personal news, stories and perspectives from every region, focusing on religious freedom, integrated gospel and other issues that are relevant for the global Church today.]]></description>
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                <title><![CDATA[President Mahama warns Ghanaians not to take religious freedom for granted after pastor-imam dispute]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/president-mahama-warns-ghanaians-not-to-take-religious-freedom-for-granted-after-pastor-imam-dispute</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/president-mahama-warns-ghanaians-not-to-take-religious-freedom-for-granted-after-pastor-imam-dispute</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Ghana President Mahama]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Facebook ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Speaking at the 32nd Biennial General Council Meeting of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, on Aug. 20, President Mahama said the events were a reminder that Ghana’s tradition of religious tolerance required protection. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:51:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[President John Dramani Mahama has warned Ghanaians not to take the country’s tradition of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence for granted after a dispute involving a Christian pastor and a Muslim imam escalated from inflammatory comments to arrests and an assault in police custody.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
President John Dramani Mahama has warned Ghanaians not to take the country’s tradition of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence for granted after a dispute involving a Christian pastor and a Muslim imam escalated from inflammatory comments to arrests and an assault in police custody.
In his first public comments on the controversy, Mahama told pastors, imams and other religious leaders to exercise restraint in their public statements and on social media.
Speaking at the 32nd Biennial General Council Meeting of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region, on Aug. 20, Mahama said the events were a reminder that Ghana’s tradition of religious tolerance required protection.
“For generations, Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths have lived together peacefully in Ghana,” Mahama said. 
He noted that members of different faiths share families, schools, workplaces, security services and public institutions. He described that peaceful coexistence as one of Ghana’s greatest national assets.
The president’s remarks followed the arrest of two religious figures over separate videos involving comments about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.
Police said Masud Abdullah, a 35-year-old imam, was arrested over remarks allegedly made during a sermon at a mosque in Ntensere in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District of the Ashanti Region. Police said he was alleged to have made comments urging violence against people who spoke ill of Muhammad.
In a separate case, police arrested Christian cleric Daniel Junior Yaw Adjei, popularly known as Apostle Daniel Adjei, over a video containing what police described as derogatory and offensive comments about Muhammad.
The arrests came as videos of the religious comments circulated online, bringing the dispute beyond the communities where the remarks were made.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, condemned the imam’s alleged inciting comments after they came to his attention. Police said both cases were being investigated and that the suspects would be processed according to law.
The dispute took a more serious turn after video footage emerged showing the Christian cleric, in handcuffs, being slapped while in police custody.
Ghana’s Interior Ministry condemned the assault and said the fact that civilians had gained access to a person being held by the state was a serious concern. The ministry directed the Inspector-General of Police to investigate how the breach of custody occurred, identify civilians involved in the assault and investigate the conduct of officers responsible for the detainee’s custody and supervision.
The ministry also condemned both religious incitement and violence against people because of their faith.
“No allegation of breach of law, however serious, gives any person the right to assault a suspect in police custody,” the ministry said, adding that a person arrested by the state remains entitled to the protection of the law.
The Christian Council of Ghana similarly condemned the assault but also condemned the alleged attack on Islam and the alleged call for violence by the Muslim cleric.
The council said the sequence of events had created a volatile situation involving sections of the Christian and Muslim communities. It called for restraint and warned against escalation.
The National Peace Council also intervened, urging the public to distinguish between the separate incidents rather than treating them as one matter.
Christian-Muslim tolerance
The council said the religious dimension was “extremely sensitive” and called on religious leaders, politicians, civil society groups and media practitioners to avoid inflammatory commentary and premature conclusions. It said accountability, fairness and respect for human dignity were necessary to maintain public confidence and Ghana’s tradition of peaceful coexistence.
Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak met Christian and Muslim leaders in Accra on Aug. 17 following the controversy. He described Christian-Muslim tolerance as a foundation of Ghana’s peace and security and commended religious leaders and police officials for intervening in the dispute.
The National Peace Council later said the Interior Ministry had also engaged the Christian Council of Ghana, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and other Christian groups as part of efforts to prevent religious concerns from developing into wider tensions. The ministry had previously engaged Muslim leaders.
Against that backdrop, Mahama said freedom of religion and freedom of expression, both guaranteed by Ghana’s Constitution, did not give anyone the right to insult another person’s faith, incite violence or take the law into their own hands.
“Religious conviction must never become religious provocation,” he said.
He also warned that statements made from church pulpits, in mosques or online could spread rapidly and inflame passions beyond what the speaker intended.
The president called for the law to be applied fairly and impartially and rejected mob action, retaliation and violence. He also urged Christian organizations to continue working with Muslim leaders, traditional authorities and the National Peace Council to strengthen interfaith dialogue, particularly among young people.
Mahama said the recent events should not be allowed to define relations between Christians and people of other faiths in Ghana. 
“No one honors God by insulting another person’s faith,” he said. “No one defends the Almighty God by troubling or attacking another human being.”
He urged religious leaders to demonstrate restraint in disagreements and said Ghana’s religious diversity should be treated as a source of strength when grounded in mutual respect.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Global study finds a third of young people have an AI companion as close friendships narrow]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/global-study-finds-a-third-of-young-people-have-an-ai-companion</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/global-study-finds-a-third-of-young-people-have-an-ai-companion</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A young woman using a smartphone. AI. technology. Mobile phone.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ iStock/pocketlight ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A global study released Sept. 10, 2026, by the Christian youth ministry Young Life found that 35% of adolescents and young adults surveyed across 11 countries report having an artificial intelligence companion, and that 60% of those users say they are more comfortable confiding in it than in some friends or family members. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:26:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[More than a third of adolescents and young adults surveyed across 11 countries say they have an artificial intelligence companion, and most of that group say they find it easier to confide in the software than in some of their friends or relatives, according to research released Thursday by Young Life.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
More than a third of adolescents and young adults surveyed across 11 countries say they have an artificial intelligence companion, and most of that group say they find it easier to confide in the software than in some of their friends or relatives, according to research released Thursday (Sept. 10) by Young Life.
The RELATE Project 2026, the second wave of a global study by the Christian youth ministry, surveyed 7,105 people ages 13 to 24 online between November 2025 and January 2026 and followed the survey with 22 focus groups involving 97 participants, most of them Young Life volunteers or staff. Young Life said the findings point in two directions at once: the number of close relationships young people report has fallen since 2023 and conversational AI has moved into part of that space, yet the same respondents say they increasingly prefer to meet in person.
Nearly all those surveyed — 89% — said they use AI in some form, most often for practical tasks, the report said. About one in three use it relationally. Within the full sample, 35% said they have an AI companion, a figure the study reported at 45% among 13- to 15-year-olds and 29% among 22- to 24-year-olds. Young men were somewhat more likely than young women to report one, 38% to 32%.
Of those with an AI companion, 60% agreed strongly or somewhat that they are more comfortable with it than with some friends or family members, according to the study. The report also said roughly one in 10 adolescents manage stress by talking with an AI companion.
Spiritual questions put to chatbots
The survey asked for the first time whether young people treat AI as a source of religious guidance. Across the sample, 41% agreed that AI is a reliable source for spiritual questions and 30% disagreed, the report said, with the youngest respondents the most willing to trust it in that area.
Identity questions showed a smaller but notable shift. Asked whom they trust most when working out who they are, two-thirds of respondents named friends or family. Teachers, coaches, pastors and other religious leaders ranked at the bottom of that list. Eight percent named AI.
Young Life cautioned in the report that AI companions are built to supply constant validation, simulated empathy and immediate availability, and that leaning on them in place of people may leave young users without practice in conflict, disappointment, apology and repair. The organization described the technology as functioning for the next generation as a low-risk substitute or supplement for human relationships.
That concern was echoed by young people themselves. In focus groups, older members of Generation Z said they worried about how readily their younger peers accept AI and wished they were more skeptical, according to the report.
"The RELATE Project tells us that while young people are constantly connected online, they are craving authentic, in-person community," said Newt Crenshaw, president and CEO of Young Life, in a statement accompanying the release. He said respondents were looking for "trusted, consistent adults" who would earn and keep their trust and listen.
What counts as listening
One of the study's more pointed findings concerns how young people define good listening. Asked what matters most, 42% chose giving full attention and putting devices away, and 33% chose responding without judgment. Asking follow-up questions came last, cited by 19% — a break from the active-listening model taught to earlier generations, the report said.
Those criteria closely match what chatbots are designed to do: express empathy, keep what is said private and withhold judgment. The report drew the comparison directly.
Fewer people to turn to
The average number of close relationships young people reported fell from 5.3 in 2023 to 4.4 in the latest wave, Young Life said. On average, respondents said they had two people they could talk to about things that really matter.
Four in 10 said they were not fully confident that any adult in their life is genuinely interested in listening to them. Satisfaction with friendships has held steady, with 58% rating their contentment at eight or higher on a 10-point scale, but focus group participants described relationships as central to their lives and, at the same time, unreliable.
Trust is conditional. In every country surveyed, confidentiality ranked as the first priority in building trust, with 73% calling it extremely or very important. Loyalty was the trait most respondents wanted to be known for, chosen by 53%. Focus groups defined both as not repeating someone's story without permission — a definition shaped, participants said, by growing up with parents and peers who post about them without asking.
"This starts with proving we are safe enough to listen — protecting their confidentiality and offering space for them without immediately trying to offer advice or judgment," said Kimberly Nollan, director of research and practice at Young Life.
Preference for face-to-face contact rose over the same period. Sixty-four percent named it as their preferred way to communicate with close friends, up from 54% in 2023. Yet 63% said they find it easier to express themselves online than in person, a pattern the report said was strongest among the youngest respondents.
Stress, sleep and mental health
More than a third of respondents, 35%, said they feel a lot or a great deal of stress regularly. Their most common worries were thinking about the future, cited by 57%, money at 49% and school at 42%. Mental health ranked as the top concern across the full sample and among the top three in nearly every country surveyed.
Sleep was short almost everywhere. Only 40% of 13- to 15-year-olds reported eight hours or more, falling to 25% among those ages 22 to 24. Music was the most common way respondents said they relieve stress, chosen by 57%, ahead of time with friends, exercise and time outdoors.
Faith described as lived rather than inherited
Across all countries, 71% said they follow their family's religious affiliation. More than four in 10 expressed a commitment to faith and a desire to grow in it, the most frequent response in every country surveyed, regardless of religious background.
Among respondents who identified as Christians, 71% said they believe they are important to God and the same share said their faith is important in their life. Fewer reported having a relationship with God, at 55%, or having made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, at 57%. Only 26% felt strongly that their beliefs help them understand the world and how to live in it.
The report found a link between feeling important to God and believing oneself worthy of being loved. Sixty-two percent of respondents rated their worthiness of being loved at eight or higher; among those with no religious affiliation, the figure was about half. Religious adolescents also reported a greater sense of being able to make a difference in others' lives than those who identified as atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated, 42% to 45% against 28%.
Focus group participants described faith less as a fixed system of belief than as something practical and tested, and said Generation Z has little appetite for a faith that is inherited or taught in the abstract. They judge the credibility of Christianity, according to the report, by whether adult leaders live out what they preach.
On forgiveness, 36% said they almost always forgive someone who makes a mistake and 39% said they often do. Some focus group participants questioned those numbers, suggesting their peers may prefer to think of themselves as forgiving while avoiding the work of repair. The report connected that pattern to the premium placed on staying calm and avoiding conflict.
The survey covered the United States, with 1,672 respondents, the United Kingdom, 880; India, 822; Mexico, 804; Hong Kong, 706; Ethiopia, 426; Nigeria, 400; Kenya, 356; Argentina, 353; Liberia, 345; and Zimbabwe, 341.
Young Life, founded 85 years ago, works through volunteers who build friendships with adolescents and introduce them to Christianity. The ministry said the RELATE findings are already shaping how it trains leaders and equips parents. The full report and regional breakdowns are available at relate.younglife.org.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Violence and displacement erode Christian presence in northern Nigeria, report says]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/violence-and-displacement-erode-christian-presence-in-northern-nigeria-report-says</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Olang]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nigeria displacement]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Open Doors ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The violence has contributed to one of Africa’s largest internal displacement crises. UNHCR data, updated Aug. 1, record 3,711,314 internally displaced people in Nigeria. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:10:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Rising killings and abductions, prolonged displacement and continuing insecurity are eroding the Christian presence in parts of northern and north-central Nigeria, according to a research brief released by Open Doors on Thursday (Sept. 3).]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Rising killings and abductions, prolonged displacement and continuing insecurity are eroding the Christian presence in parts of northern and north-central Nigeria, according to a research brief released by Open Doors on Thursday (Sept. 3).
The report, “Nigeria at the Crossroads - Is There a Future for Nigeria’s Displaced Church?” outlines two possible futures for the country. Violence and impunity could deepen displacement, or stronger government action backed by sustained international engagement could create conditions for displaced communities to return home.
While Christian communities continue to be severely affected by the violence, attacks are also increasingly affecting Muslims. The brief describes conflicts shaped by religious, ethnic, economic and environmental factors and involving Fulani militant groups, Islamic extremist rebel group Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Much of its analysis draws on data collected by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa. ORFA’s six-year study combines information gathered by researchers and local partners with data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project.
Civilian killings rose sharply during the final three months of 2025. The brief records 1,735 civilian deaths between October and December, compared with 1,148 during the same period in 2024, an increase of 51 percent.
The increase in abductions was even greater. Some 3,415 civilians were abducted between October and December 2025, up from 1,352 during the corresponding period in 2024. This amounted to a 153 percent increase.
The figures do not establish that religious identity was the sole reason for every attack. The motives of armed groups are often mixed, and the religious identity of some victims could not be confirmed.
Christians accounted for a substantially higher number of those killed than Muslims during much of the period examined. Muslim deaths, however, increased between October 2023 and December 2025. Regarding abductions, since the 2024 fiscal year more Muslims than Christians have been kidnapped, according to the report.
The changing pattern partly reflects the expansion of armed groups identified in the research as Fulani militants into areas inhabited by Christian farming communities and by predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, including Hausa communities in northwestern Nigeria.
Between October 2019 and September 2025, the research attributed 18,577 civilian deaths to Fulani militant groups. Of these victims, 12,160 were identified as Christians and 3,368 as Muslims. Boko Haram and ISWAP were linked to 4,941 civilian deaths during the same period.
The researchers distinguish the militants from the wider Fulani community, most of whom are not involved in the violence. They also identify land disputes, competition over natural resources, environmental pressures, livestock routes and criminal activity as factors intersecting with religious and ethnic tensions.
The violence has contributed to one of Africa’s largest internal displacement crises. UNHCR data, updated Aug. 1, record 3,711,314 internally displaced people in Nigeria.
Many displaced families live in poorly resourced camps or with host communities already under economic strain. Repeated attacks and the occupation of abandoned land have made it particularly difficult for displaced residents of Plateau, Benue and southern Kaduna states to return.
The movement of people is also changing the geographical distribution of Christians. Rural Christian communities have declined in parts of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Benue, Plateau, southern Kaduna and Nasarawa states as displaced families move to Maiduguri, Yola, Jos, Makurdi, Abuja and other cities.
Urban churches have received displaced congregations, placing additional pressure on their finances, facilities and pastoral ministries. Many of the displaced families previously depended on farming and have no access to their land or an alternative source of income.
The full extent of damage to church buildings cannot be verified because Nigeria has no central database documenting how many have been destroyed or abandoned. Available evidence nevertheless shows widespread disruption of rural congregations in northern Nigeria.
Abductions and ransom payments
The abduction of pastors and other church leaders has placed another financial burden on churches and families, which are frequently pressured to raise ransom payments. Congregations are also left without leaders when pastors are abducted, displaced or killed.
Women-led households are among those facing the greatest hardship. Many women lost access to their farms and livelihoods after their husbands were killed, abducted or forced to flee. Church and humanitarian programmes have responded with vocational training, small-business assistance, trauma care and informal education.
Badoo, a displaced mother of six featured in the brief, received vocational training and sewing equipment through an Open Doors-supported program in Benue state. She subsequently established a business, moved her family out of an internally displaced persons camp and returned her children to school.
The brief acknowledges several steps taken by the Nigerian government. President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency in November 2025, ordering additional recruitment of armed forces and police. He also directed that police officers assigned to protect prominent individuals be redeployed to areas facing insecurity.
Authorities have made arrests and secured convictions in several terrorism cases. The brief describes these measures as limited in relation to the scale of the violence and says it remains unclear whether they mark the beginning of sustained accountability.
Nigeria also strengthened its legal framework for protecting displaced people by incorporating the African Union’s Kampala Convention into national law. UNHCR welcomed the legislation in March, saying it provided a stronger basis for preventing displacement, protecting affected communities and pursuing lasting solutions.
Other initiatives include a resettlement partnership in Plateau state and efforts to document displaced communities and address the occupation of their land. These programs remain small compared with the number of people requiring protection and assistance.
Open Doors called on the Nigerian government to strengthen security in affected communities, disarm violent groups, investigate attacks and prosecute those responsible. It also urged the government and international partners to increase humanitarian support, involve local faith leaders in coordinating assistance and establish conditions for displaced people to return voluntarily and safely.
The organization appealed to churches in Nigeria and abroad to support affected communities through prayer, humanitarian assistance, trauma care and advocacy.
Open Doors reiterated the appeal of a displaced Christian interviewed for an earlier study: “The global church needs to know that many people are displaced. The global church needs to pray for the people to be able to return.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[More than 30 Christians slain in Plateau state, Nigeria]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-than-30-christians-slain-in-plateau-state-nigeria</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-than-30-christians-slain-in-plateau-state-nigeria</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5259.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Plateau state Gov. Caleb Mutfwang.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Screenshot from Arise News interview on YouTube ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Plateau state Gov. Caleb Mutfwang. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:12:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed more than 30 Christians in one area of Plateau state, Nigeria in the past month, sources said.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed more than 30 Christians in one area of Plateau state, Nigeria in the past month, sources said.
The latest attack in Mangu County took place on Saturday (Sept. 5), where three Christians were killed in two villages, said area resident Leo Lawrence.
“A Christian was killed in Fungtim community, while two other Christians were killed in Kinat community,” Lawrence told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “In total, three Christians were killed by suspected Fulani terrorists in these attacks.”
On Thursday (Sept. 3), two Christians were slain in predominantly Christian Kinat and Kop-Naanle villages, said area community leader Tubwot Sunday.
“Two Christians were killed in separate attacks by Fulani militants on two Christian villages,” Sunday said. “Mr. Bulus Danladi, 78, was killed in Kop-Naanle village, while Mr. Kwopnaan Lot Yunana, 33, was killed in Kinat village.”
On Aug. 18 in the predominantly Christian village of Bin-Per, Fulani herdsmen killed 25 Christian in an attack at about 3 a.m., area resident Nelson Dogara said in a text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
“Bin-per village is bleeding as Muslim Fulani herdsmen have killed 25 Christians in an overnight attack,” Dogara said.
Jeremiah Dakahap, spokesman for the Mangu Local Government Council, confirmed the killings.
“We are still grieving the tragic killing of 25 Christians in Bin-Per village in Mangu Local Government Area,” Dakahap said. “The chairman of Mangu Local Government Council, Emmanuel Bala Mwolpun, is saddened with the killing of 25 Christians by Fulani in early hours of Tuesday, Aug. 18.”
Resident Daniel Musa confirmed that 25 Christians were killed, that several others sustained serious injuries and houses were burned down and crops destroyed. 
“Most of the victims were women and children,” Musa said. “The dead were buried the same day in a single grave, while the injured victims were taken to public health facilities for medical care in the city of Jos.”
On Aug. 18 in Sabon Layi, Mangu County, soldiers drafted to the area shot and killed a Christian who along with other Christians was protesting the killings in the area, said community leader Jonathan Yusuf.
On Aug. 15, Jwak and Murish villages were attacked, and on Aug. 9 a Christian was slain in in Jakatai community. Yusuf said Fwangshak Dawuk was killed by soldiers while he and other Christians were guarding their village against herdsmen.
“We mourn Fwangshak with profound grief, but we also use this solemn occasion to renew our call for justice, accountability and immediate government action,” Yusuf told mourners at the funeral for Dawuk. “The circumstances surrounding the death of Fwangshak Dawuk, particularly reports alleging that he was a militia, are completely false. Fwangshak was killed while performing his community vigilance responsibilities.”
Yusuf said the community demanded a transparent, independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death.
“The military exists to protect citizens, and whenever allegations arise concerning the unlawful killing of a civilian, the public deserves to know the truth,” Yusuf said.
He said that Fulanis on Aug. 12 killed 20-year-old Moses Emmanuel Panse in Murish village, Bwai District.
“His death further deepened the grief among our people,” he said. “Similarly, in Jwak Maitumbi, Mangu District, 38 houses were burned down on the same day, while farmlands were invaded and crops destroyed. These acts of destruction represent not only the loss of homes and property, but also a direct threat to the livelihoods and food security of affected families.”
These incidents cannot be treated as isolated events or be reduced to competing narratives, he added.
“We cannot continue to bury our community members while perpetrators remain unidentified, unarrested and unprosecuted,” Yusuf said, demanding immediate investigation of the killings and destruction of property.
Alfred Alabo, spokesperson for state police command, said some assailants in the Mangu area have been arrested. Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang visited some of the affected villages, describing the attacks as barbaric and unacceptable.
“We will do everything within our powers to ensure that you remain on your land. Nobody will take over your land,” Mutfwang said.
More Christians were killed in Nigeria than in any other country from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025, according to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period, 3,490 – 72 percent – were Nigerians, an increase from 3,100 the prior year. Nigeria ranked No. 7 on the WWL list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.
“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.
Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.
The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Father in Uganda beaten by Muslim sons for accepting Christ]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/father-in-uganda-beaten-by-muslim-sons-for-accepting-christ</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Kibirige Abumusa after sons beat him on Aug. 9, 2026 for accepting Christ in Uganda.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Morning Star News ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Kibirige Abumusa after sons beat him on Aug. 9, 2026 for accepting Christ in Uganda. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:28:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A 52-year-old Christian in eastern Uganda was recovering from injuries after his Muslim sons attacked him for leaving Islam, sources said.]]></description>
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A 52-year-old Christian in eastern Uganda was recovering from injuries after his Muslim sons attacked him for leaving Islam, sources said.
In Nakalama village, Iganga Town Council, Kibirige Abumusa returned home on Aug. 9 after an extended stay in Jinja City, where he had put his faith in Christ on June 1. One of his adult sons, 28-year-old Kibirige Budallah, confronted him about his conversion, said neighbor and eyewitness Alice Naigaga.
Abumusa converted to Christianity after attending an open-air evangelistic event organized by Pastor Zakalia Sserwada of Evangel Church in Jinja City. A business colleague and member of True Worship Centre Church had encouraged Abumusa to attend the event.
Abumusa accepted Christ after attending the meetings for three days and later attended True Worship Church Centre in Jinja, where he stayed for discipleship until his return to his village in Iganga District on Aug. 9, according to the colleague, whose name is withheld for security reasons.
Abumusa’s son, Budallah, had learned about his conversion from Imam Kisige Musitafa of Jinja mosque, which Abumusa had previously attended. The imam had accompanied Abumusa to the evangelistic event, according to the friend. Immediately after Abumusa’s conversion, the imam informed Budallah, the source said.
Budallah questioned his father upon his return about abandoning Islam, calling him a kafir (infidel), and told him that he did not deserve to live because of his decision to leave Islam, Naigaga said. Budallah struck Abumusa with a stick, and his four other sons joined in beating him, said Naigaga, who took photographs of the attack from a distance before calling for neighborhood help.
By the time neighbors arrived, Abumusa was weak, bleeding from the nose and had wounds on his hands, legs and back, she said.
Naigaga said she heard Budallah referring to Islamic teachings concerning Muslims who leave Islam and claiming that killing such persons would earn the killer paradise.
Abumusa was taken to Iganga Hospital, where he received treatment for about a week. After being discharged, he took refuge at a friend’s house in another village, where he was continuing to recover.
Abumusa said he has not reported the assault to police, fearing his sons could further endanger him. He remained concerned about his safety in the face of hostility of his sons, his friend said.
Abumusa’s wife died in an accident in 2022, he said.
The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.
Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Global Methodist Church adopts Articles of Faith, elects first full-time bishops at Johannesburg conference]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/global-methodist-church-adopts-articles-of-faith-elects-first-full-time-bishops</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Delegates from across the Global Methodist Churchs worldwide connection met in Johannesburg for the denominations 2026 General Conference]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Global Methodist Church ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Delegates from across the Global Methodist Church's worldwide connection met in Johannesburg for the denomination's 2026 General Conference, which closed Sept. 5 with the election and consecration of eight bishops and action on 451 petitions. It was the first General Conference the denomination has held in Africa. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:27:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Global Methodist Church adopted a set of Articles of Faith and elected eight bishops to its first regular Assembly of Bishops during a General Conference that closed Saturday (Sept. 5) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, the denomination said.]]></description>
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The Global Methodist Church adopted a set of Articles of Faith and elected eight bishops to its first regular Assembly of Bishops during a General Conference that closed Saturday (Sept. 5) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, the denomination said.
It was the second General Conference in the history of the denomination, which launched in May 2022 as a theologically conservative alternative to the United Methodist Church, and the first held on the African continent. Delegates, both clergy and lay, met under the theme "The Beauty of Holiness" and acted on 451 petitions.
The denomination announced the adoption of the articles in a social media post on the final day, saying they had passed with overwhelming support and describing them as a shared expression of the faith uniting the connection. It said the full adopted language would be released later.
Doctrinal statement adopted
The text was developed by the Discipleship, Doctrine and Just Ministry Commission with input from church members and refined through the legislative process. The Doctrine and Sacraments Legislative Committee used the commission's report, listed as Petition 1441, as its base text during meetings in Johannesburg.
According to a statement issued by the denomination, the articles address teaching on God, Scripture, humanity, salvation, the church, the sacraments and the Christian life. The Global Methodist Church said the aim was to state the beliefs held in common across its congregations in a form consistent with the historic Christian faith and the Wesleyan tradition.
The 451 petitions were first handled by eight legislative committees — Doctrine and Sacraments; Social Witness; Local Church; Ministry; Superintendency; Conferences; Constitution, Connectional Organization and Finance; and Judicial Administration — before advancing to the full conference. They covered material throughout the Book of Doctrines and Discipline, including clergy and lay ministry, episcopal leadership, annual and local church life, connectional governance and finance.
A complete record of adopted legislation and other official actions will be released after final review and certification by the General Conference secretary, the denomination said.
Eight bishops elected
The Global Methodist Church said the bishops were elected over five ballots and consecrated on the final day of the conference. They will serve as general superintendents for the 2026-2032 term, which begins Nov. 1.
Those elected were Luther Oconer, Johnathan Lee, Mark Webb, Lyndol Loyd, Jerry Kulah, Eduard Khegay, Paul Lawler and Carolyn Moore, each assigned to one of eight episcopal areas. The areas combine annual conferences from different parts of the world, an arrangement the denomination said reflects its understanding of bishops as teachers and superintendents of the whole church rather than regional administrators.
The vote replaces the interim episcopal structure adopted at the 2024 Convening General Conference in San José, Costa Rica. Bishops whose active service is ending are John Pena Auta, Kimba Evariste, Jeffrey Greenway, Leah Gregory, Scott Jones and Kenneth Levingston.
In a letter released with the conference statement, the Assembly of Bishops said the handover will take place Oct. 31, with outgoing bishops stepping down that day. The letter asked members to pray for the incoming assembly and said the outgoing bishops "will be missed."
Delegates also elected members of the Connectional Council, commissions and other connectional bodies.
Rapid growth since 2024
The Rev. Mike Schafer, the denomination's connectional operations officer, reported that the church has grown from roughly 4,700 congregations after the 2024 General Conference to 7,250, according to the statement.
The number of annual conferences rose from 36 to 55 over the same period, Schafer said, with six additional emerging areas that may become annual conferences. The denomination said the number of annual conferences outside the United States has more than doubled.
The figures continue a pattern reported earlier this year. Christian Daily International reported in February, citing The Christian Post, that the denomination had passed 7,000 member congregations worldwide, four months after announcing it had reached 6,000.
Bishop Mark Webb said at the time that the milestone reflected "the faithfulness of God and the willingness of His people to boldly follow the Holy Spirit's leading and God's call."
Covenant with Korean Methodists
The conference unanimously approved a covenant of understanding with the Korean Methodist Church, which the Global Methodist Church said builds on more than a century of shared Methodist history. The document was signed in Johannesburg in the presence of President Bishop Kim Jung-seok and a delegation of Korean Methodist bishops and leaders.
Separately, participants took part in a Mission Experience in communities across Johannesburg and Soweto, working with local congregations on evangelism, prayer, leadership training, health ministries, children's ministry and discipleship. Those taking part included church workers from South Africa, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Fiji and the United States.
Origins in the United Methodist split
The Global Methodist Church says it was formed by Christians seeking to preserve the doctrinal integrity of the historic Christian faith, particularly the authority of Scripture, and that it is grounded in the Wesleyan tradition and guided by its Book of Doctrines and Discipline.
Its formation followed a long dispute within the United Methodist Church over rules in that denomination's Book of Discipline prohibiting the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. In January 2020, a group of 16 United Methodist leaders backed a proposed separation protocol that would have created a path for disaffiliation and set aside funds for a new theologically conservative denomination, The Christian Post reported.
The United Methodist General Conference that was to consider the protocol was postponed repeatedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers announced in March 2022 that they would launch the Global Methodist Church that May without waiting for approval.
Thousands of congregations subsequently left the United Methodist Church, with most joining the new denomination and others becoming nondenominational, according to The Christian Post. The United Methodist General Conference voted in 2024 to remove the contested rules, while allowing regional bodies and local congregations to continue applying them.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Kenya registers about 60 churches every month as Attorney General questions leadership structures]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/kenya-registers-about-60-churches-every-month-as-attorney-general-questions-leadership-structures</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/kenya-registers-about-60-churches-every-month-as-attorney-general-questions-leadership-structures</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Kenya Attorney General]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ CRC ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ AG Dorcas Oduor said some of the disputes brought to her office involve leadership and control of church finances. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:45:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Kenya is registering nearly 60 churches every month, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor has said, as she raised concerns over increasingly bitter disputes within some religious organizations, including leadership contests that she said can become violent.]]></description>
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Kenya is registering nearly 60 churches every month, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor has said, as she raised concerns over increasingly bitter disputes within some religious organizations, including leadership contests that she said can become violent.
Oduor made the remarks Thursday, Aug. 27, during a panel discussion at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.
“At the Office of the Attorney General, we are registering almost 60 churches a month,” Oduor said. “Every time they have elections, they disagree. And elections in churches are more brutal, sometimes fatal; they are very violent, and they still come to us for advice.”
She said some of the disputes brought to her office involve leadership and control of church finances.
The comments put the rapid growth of religious organizations against a longer-running debate in Kenya over how churches should be registered and regulated while preserving the constitutional right to freedom of religion.
The issue has received renewed attention since the 2023 Shakahola tragedy, in which hundreds of followers of self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie died after following teachings associated with his Good News International Church.
The Senate committee that investigated the deaths found that 429 bodies had been exhumed and recovered from Shakahola by Oct. 13, 2023. The committee was also tasked with examining the proliferation of religious organizations, their registration and compliance status and the country's legal framework for regulating them. 
The tragedy was not the first time the government had attempted to strengthen oversight of religious organizations.
In November 2014, the Office of the Attorney General announced a moratorium on the registration of religious societies. According to evidence later submitted to Parliament, the decision followed reports of illegal activities by some religious societies, including alleged extortion, as well as concerns about radicalization among young people in places of worship.
The government subsequently developed draft Societies (Religious Societies) Rules in 2015. The proposed rules were intended to address what the Attorney General's office considered weaknesses in the existing system for registering and overseeing religious organizations.
The proposed regulations faced strong opposition and were eventually abandoned. 
The registration moratorium was lifted in June 2022 after the government introduced administrative guidelines and standard operating procedures for religious societies. Those measures were developed in consultation with religious leaders.
Religious studies certification
The new requirements included theological qualifications from recognized institutions, certificates of good conduct and tax compliance or exemption certificates for officials. 
Applicants were also required to provide identification documents and tax identification numbers, while founders had to disclose their involvement in other religious societies and obtain recommendations from registered religious organizations in good standing. 
The scale of Kenya's religious sector had already presented a significant regulatory challenge.
When officials from the Attorney General's office and the Registrar of Societies appeared before the Senate committee investigating Shakahola in 2023, they said the Societies Registry held records of approximately 100,000 registered societies. About 40,000 were described as religious in nature, including churches, mosques and temples. 
The officials told the committee that the registry had received 978 applications for registration of faith-based organizations through the e-Citizen platform after the 2022 lifting of the moratorium. At the time of their submission, only 11 applicants had been issued registration certificates after meeting the requirements. 
The government also established a Presidential Taskforce on the Review of the Legal and Regulatory Framework Governing Religious Organizations in May 2023, shortly after the Shakahola deaths came to light.
The taskforce was specifically mandated to review the registration and regulation of religious organizations and consider measures to prevent religious extremism, radicalization, spiritual exploitation and similar abuses. Its terms of reference also recognized that freedom of religion and freedom of association are protected by the Constitution while requiring the state to protect people's lives and welfare. 
The Senate committee subsequently recommended a legislative framework for regulating religious organizations and annexed a proposed Religious Organizations Bill to its report. The committee said the existing framework needed to be reviewed in light of the Shakahola tragedy and other concerns surrounding religious organizations. ]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Gafcon-led Global Anglican Communion to establish headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/gafcon-led-global-anglican-communion-to-establish-headquarters-in-abuja-nigeria</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[National Ecumenical center, Abuja, Nigeria]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ iStock / Em Campo ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Abuja, Nigeria, will become the administrative base of the Gafcon-led Global Anglican Communion, its governing council announced Aug. 29. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:23:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Gafcon, the body governing the Anglican grouping that broke with Canterbury last year has decided to establish its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, according to a communique released Aug. 29 by the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the Global Anglican Council.]]></description>
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Gafcon, the body governing the Anglican grouping that broke with Canterbury last year has decided to establish its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, according to a communique released Aug. 29 by the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the Global Anglican Council.
Mbanda said the decision was taken at a council meeting in Recife, Brazil, on Aug. 22, where members considered how to support the future work of the fellowship. He described the choice of Abuja as fitting because of the city's place in the group's recent history.
The move would give a physical base to a network that has spent the past year building parallel structures to those of the Anglican Communion, whose central office is in London. Gafcon, which says it speaks for the majority of the world's Anglicans, declared in October 2025 that it no longer recognized the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury or the other bodies known as the Instruments of Communion, as previously reported by Christian Daily International.
The communique said the headquarters would begin as an administrative center. Mbanda wrote that while technology allows the fellowship's leaders to work across borders, there is "great value in a physical home and administrative hub" for its shared life and mission.
He added that the council hopes the site will in time serve as "a place for gathering, training, and equipping leaders." No timeline, budget or site was given, and Mbanda said much work remains in shaping the new base.
The council is exploring the plan with the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), which Mbanda said had responded with enthusiasm. The Church of Nigeria is among the largest provinces claiming Anglican identity and hosted the group's Abuja conference in March.
Abuja was the setting for G26, a gathering held March 3-6 that Gafcon has described as the first conference of the Global Anglican Communion. Organizers said 347 bishops and 121 lay and clerical leaders from 27 provinces attended, hosted by the Church of Nigeria.
The conference closed with a statement known as the Abuja Affirmation, which said Gafcon had reordered the Anglican Communion into a global church. The same document replaced the Gafcon Primates' Council with the Global Anglican Council as the fellowship's leadership body, with Mbanda, who is archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, as chairman.
The Most Rev. Miguel Uchôa Cavalcanti, primate of the Anglican Church in Brazil, serves as vice chairman, and Bishop Paul Donison as general secretary. Uchôa hosted the August council meeting in Recife, where leaders also attended the installation of a new cathedral dean.
In its October 2025 declaration, Gafcon said the Anglican Communion would be reordered around the Bible as its sole foundation of communion, and rejected the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates' Meeting as bodies that had failed to uphold Anglican doctrine and discipline, according to Christian Daily International's earlier reporting. Mbanda said then that provinces in the new grouping would not take part in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
That declaration followed the election of the Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, who is in a same-sex relationship, as Archbishop of Wales, and the naming of Dame Sarah Mullally, who has supported blessings for same-sex couples, as the first woman appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
Mbanda closed the communique by asking for prayer as the council works on the plans, and said the group hopes to serve Anglicans in every region from Abuja. A separate communique issued Aug. 25 said the council will hold an invitation-only prayer conference for lay people, called G27, in Recife from April 20-23, 2027.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[US slams 'golden door' on world’s persecuted Christians, report says]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/us-slams-golden-door-on-worlds-persecuted-christians-report-says</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/us-slams-golden-door-on-worlds-persecuted-christians-report-says</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Ross]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor, long a symbol of refuge for those fleeing persecution, its pedestal bearing Emma Lazarus’ sonnet welcoming immigrants through a “golden door.” Fiscal Year 2026 will likely close Sept. 30 with no persecuted ]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor, long a symbol of refuge for those fleeing persecution, its pedestal bearing Emma Lazarus’ sonnet welcoming immigrants through a “golden door.” Fiscal Year 2026 will likely close Sept. 30 with no persecuted religious minorities resettled in the United States, according to a Sept. 3, 2026 report by World Relief and Open Doors US. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Arrival of Christian refugees from the 50 countries of Open Doors 2026 World Watch List.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ State of the Golden Door Report ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Arrival of Christian refugees from the 50 countries of Open Doors 2026 World Watch List. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Number of Christian refugee arrivals from selected countries: 2020, 2024, 2025, 2026.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ State of the Golden Door Report ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Number of Christian refugee arrivals from selected countries: 2020, 2024, 2025, 2026. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:25:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The U.S. government’s 2026 Fiscal Year ending on Sept. 30 likely will be the first in a quarter century in which no refugees enduring religious persecution are resettled in the United States, according to a report by two Christian aid agencies.]]></description>
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The U.S. government’s 2026 Fiscal Year ending on Sept. 30 likely will be the first in a quarter century in which no refugees enduring religious persecution are resettled in the United States, according to a report by two Christian aid agencies.
“Barring a significant change in U.S. policy in the final month of the federal fiscal year, we anticipate that FY2026 will be the first year in at least a quarter century, and likely in the entire history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, in which persecuted religious minorities have been completely shut out,” concludes the report released today (Sept. 3) by humanitarian organization World Relief and Christian support group Open Doors US.
Amid unprecedented levels of persecution of Christians worldwide, the experience of seekers of asylum in the United States in 2025 and 2026 has been unpredictable and chaotic, states the report, “State of the Golden Door: Evaluating U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum in Light of Global Christian Persecution.”
“While the leaders of both World Relief and Open Doors US affirm the need to ensure secure borders and the need for reforms to the asylum system, those goals cannot come at the cost of legitimate asylum applicants’ safety and right to a fair process,” it states. “The combination of changes outlined here have together, functionally discontinued the asylum system in the U.S. This means, in turn, that for those asylum seekers with legitimate concerns of persecution on account of their faith, the U.S. may not offer the safety it has for many years promised to provide.”
In a letter introducing the report, Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, and Ryan Brown, president and CEO of Open Doors US, state that their organizations are politically non-partisan but that, as all human beings are created in God’s image with inherent dignity, they believe they are worth protecting.
“We also take seriously the Old Testament command to welcome the stranger, as well as Jesus’ admonition to care for the neighbor, illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, as extending beyond those who happen to share the same ethnic or religious characteristics,” they write.
Many Christians agree with them, they stated, that the U.S. should keep open refugee access, termed the “golden door” as referenced on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Recent polling by Lifeway Research found that 70 percent of evangelical Christians believe the U.S. has a moral responsibility to accept refugees, regardless of whether those refugees are Christian. Even more recently, 82 percent of Protestant pastors agreed, they stated.
Greene said at a briefing in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (Sept. 3), “The U.S. has taken this golden door and closed it.”
Ara Torosian, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from Iran, pastors Cornerstone Church in West Los Angeles, which includes other Iranian refugees. He said at the briefing that persecuted Christians trying to attain asylum are trying to save their lives and are not a danger to the United States.
“America has always been a place of refuge for Christian people,” Pastor Torosian said.
The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump in early 2025 halted all refugee resettlement via executive order with very narrow exceptions, and while the program was never officially restarted, the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 set a new precedent, the report notes.

“Disregarding the traditional international legal definition of a refugee, individuals identified outside of their country of origin who have a well-founded fear of persecution, it instead made a provision for resettling 7,500 white South Africans, mostly of the Afrikaner heritage, whom it describes as ‘victims of unjust racial discrimination,’” the report states, noting that the ceiling increased to 17,500 in June but with the same singular focus on one group. “Notwithstanding the hardship that some South Africans have experienced, South Africa is not known to be a country which restricts religious liberty, so any hardship experienced is unlikely to be religiously motivated. Because the three individuals resettled this fiscal year who were not from South Africa were not members of religious minorities in their country of origin, we can confidently conclude that, thus far in FY2026, no refugees experiencing religious persecution were resettled in the U.S.”
Since the Refugee Act of 1980 established the foundations of the modern resettlement program, the U.S. has accepted nearly 3.7 million refugees primarily through the Refugee Admissions Program, the report states. The law draws on the international definition of a refugee, determining that those fleeing credible threats of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular group could qualify as a refugee with proper documentation and screening.
“On average, the nation has resettled an [annual] average of about 73,500, with more than 200,000 arriving in a single year in 1980 and several other years exceeding 100,000,” it states. “In recent years, this number has plummeted.”

The administration has also begun efforts to send away immigrants already accepted as refugees. In November 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intention to reopen the cases of some 230,000 refugees admitted under the previous administration, while also pausing green card processing for refugees who entered during the same time period. DHS then in January announced Operation Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening (PARRIS), claiming it would address fraud in the refugee resettlement program, the report states.
“They began in Minnesota, specifically targeting 5,600 refugees who had not yet received green cards,” it states. “Through Operation PARRIS, around 150 refugees were detained, some through door-to-door arrests, and transferred to Texas for re-interviews. A number of these refugees were released in Texas without transportation back to Minnesota, and in some cases without their documentation.”
A court case, U.H.A v Bondi, halted Operation PARRIS’s arrests and detentions in Minnesota, accusing DHS of detaining refugees for lacking green cards while at the same time preventing refugees from receiving them. Another lawsuit, Jean A. v Noem, seeks to prevent similar tactics nationwide; it is ongoing but led to a nationwide pause on the policy until the case is decided.
DHS has since shifted from detentions to call-in letters for re-interviews across the country.
“The policy continues to cause fear for refugees and their families, employers and communities, including for many whose refugee designation was based upon religious persecution,” the report states.
The report highlights the case of Saw Shining, who fled Burma (Myanmar) and first arrived in Minnesota more than 15 years ago as a refugee after decades in a Thai refugee camp. He became pastor of a church in Minneapolis that included Christian Karen people, a persecuted ethnolinguistic group from southeastern Burma. He also became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
“When he and the Karen community heard President Trump’s calls for aggressive immigration enforcement, they thought that those without a criminal record would be safe, especially given their legal status as refugees,” the report states. “However, as Operation PARRIS rolled out, it soon became clear that even some immigrants who were lawfully present and had not been charged with crimes were being targeted for detention. Overnight, the community became fearful of law enforcement, evoking memories of encounters with police in Burma and Thailand, where refugees were closely monitored and kept apart simply due to their status as refugees.”
Older members of the Karen community in Minneapolis or who those who spoke less English began to stay at home, even U.S. citizens like Saw Shining’s parents.
“Nevertheless, between 30 to 50 lawfully present Karen refugees who had not yet received their green cards were detained during Operation PARRIS,” the report states. “One member of his previous church was separated for three weeks from her 5-month-old baby – whom she had been breastfeeding prior to her detention – while she was being reinterviewed in Texas.”
While all members of the community have returned after the judicial orders, call-in letters have continued to arrive for reinterviews, the report notes.
“What happened [during Operation PARRIS] was really hard for our Karen people,” Pastor Shining said. “We are not Thai or Burmese citizens; we are U.S. citizens. This nation is ours, and we must love, care for and support our Constitution. We do not want to become stateless again.”
At this writing the Trump administration had yet to respond to a request for comment on the Golden Door report.
Approval Rate Plummets
In the Refugee Act and as a party to an international convention, the U.S. has pledged not to turn away people who can demonstrate they meet the necessary conditions for asylum. Unlike refugees, there is no legal limit on the number of asylum seekers that can be approved each year.
The two main avenues for asylum are an “affirmative” claim, when applicants submit a claim to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and a “defensive” claim, when the DHS seeks to deport someone and the person pleads asylum at a removal hearing in front of an immigration judge.
“While data is not publicly available on the religious demographics of those who seek asylum defensively, it’s clear that as the overall asylum approval rate has plummeted, Christians fleeing religious persecution are much less likely to be approved as well,” the report states.
In FY2023, immigration judges granted asylum to 17,157 people of all religious backgrounds from countries on the World Watch List of the 50 countries with the worst persecution, accounting for 58 percent of all asylum decisions for those from those countries, according to the report. In FY2025, the approval rate declined to 26 percent for those from those 50 countries.
“During the first nine months of FY2026, the approval rate for these countries had declined further, to just 10 percent,” the report states. “Specific countries that rank high on the World Watch List for Christian persecution such as Iran (#10), India (#12) and China (#17) have been particularly affected by the stark decline in asylum approval rates in immigration court.”
For each year from FY2020 to FY2024, at least 62 percent of asylum decisions for Indian nationals were approvals, but for FY2026, the asylum approval rate has dropped to just 6 percent. Iran has historically had very high rates of asylum approvals before immigration judges, above 80 percent from FY2020 through FY2024, but for FY2025 and FY2026 year-to-date, it has fallen to just 38 percent, with most Iranian asylum applicants being denied, according to the report.
Rates of asylum approval for Chinese nationals fell from as high as 88 percent in FY2022 to just 29 percent thus far in FY2026, it states.
“The decrease in approved asylum cases coincides with a dramatic increase in the number of asylum claims being adjudicated,” the report notes. “FY2025 saw 121,936 decisions, the highest ever, likely due to the speed at which cases were being decided.”
Refoulement
The principle of non-refoulement, established in international law and in U.S. statute, states that countries will not deport anyone (especially refugees and asylum seekers) back to countries where their “life or freedom would be threatened” due to “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
To avoid explicitly violating the principle of non-refoulement, the Department of State has made arrangements with third countries to allow the U.S. to deport would-be asylum seekers to those other countries rather than back to the asylum seeker’s home country, the report states.
“As a result, over 21,000 people have been deported to countries to which they have never been, have no connections in, and in some cases, do not even speak the language,” it notes. “The U.S. currently has third-country removal agreements with 35 nations, most of which are in Africa or Central America. Since these agreements are not public, the exact details of this process is unclear, but some agreements have resulted in people being repatriated by the third country back to the country where they initially fled persecution.”
Those removed have included asylum seekers at the southern border, those with pending cases in immigration court and others who have been granted protection from removal, the report states.
“Credible reports suggest that in transport, Non-refoulement & Deportation Agreements individuals have been shackled, held in primitive conditions and threatened with being sent back to their home country,” it states. “Furthermore, when people are being sent to countries where they have almost no resources, it renders them extremely vulnerable to abuse and injustice.”
These third-country deportations have impacted persecuted Christians. In February 2025, an Iranian woman who converted to Christianity and fled fearing persecution made it into the U.S. only to have her claims for asylum ignored, according to the report.
“She was subsequently sent to a detention camp in Panama’s jungle. There, she was held, along with several other Iranian Christians who had sought asylum in the U.S., only to be turned away,” it states.
These policies have been repeatedly challenged in court, both in the U.S. and in the third countries themselves, but as of this year, the deportations continue, according to the report.
“World Relief and Open Doors US firmly believe that returning someone to a place of persecution – however indirectly – is a stark violation of the principles on which our nation was founded, and in direct contradiction to our beliefs as Christians.”]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Moroccan Christian groups press parties on religious freedom ahead of election]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/moroccan-christian-groups-press-parties-on-religious-freedom-ahead-of-election</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/moroccan-christian-groups-press-parties-on-religious-freedom-ahead-of-election</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5219.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Morocco]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ iStockphoto ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian groups in Morocco are calling on political parties to address freedom of belief and the rights of religious minorities as the country prepares for parliamentary elections on Sept. 23, 2026. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 07:15:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Moroccan Christian groups are pressing political parties to address freedom of belief and the rights of religious minorities as the country prepares for parliamentary elections on Sept. 23, saying religious freedom should be part of the political debate rather than left to individual candidates.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Moroccan Christian groups are pressing political parties to address freedom of belief and the rights of religious minorities as the country prepares for parliamentary elections on Sept. 23, saying religious freedom should be part of the political debate rather than left to individual candidates.
The Coordination of Moroccan Christians wants political parties, particularly those on the left, to include freedom of belief and the rights of religious minorities in their electoral and government programs, according to Hespress. The group has sought dialogue with political parties since about 2018.
Mustapha Soussi, secretary-general of the coordination, said several parties have remained reluctant to engage publicly because they fear losing votes in the Muslim-majority country.
The group plans to continue discussions after the election because most parties have already prepared their electoral programs.
The Union of Moroccan Christians is pursuing a similar effort. Its president, Adam Rabati, said the organization has approached several parties about its proposals and possible political participation. An appeal sent through a senior member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party received no response, he told Hespress.
The union is not formally authorized by Moroccan authorities but plans to encourage Moroccan Christians to vote after reviewing candidates and their platforms.
The two organizations say political parties generally treat religious freedom as an individual matter rather than developing formal policies addressing the rights of non-Muslim Moroccan citizens.
The campaign comes as Morocco prepares to elect all 395 members of its House of Representatives on Sept. 23. The election will determine the country's next parliamentary majority and shape the political agenda for the coming term.
Morocco's Constitution creates a complicated framework for that debate. It identifies Islam as the religion of the state while guaranteeing freedom to practice religious affairs. King Mohammed VI also holds the constitutional title of Commander of the Faithful, giving the monarchy an important religious role.
The country's political system therefore gives Islam a privileged constitutional position while also recognizing religious freedom as a fundamental principle. That tension has long affected Moroccan citizens who identify as Christian.
The situation of Moroccan Christians differs from that of foreign Christians living in the country. Morocco allows 44 registered Christian churches serving foreign residents, where foreign residents and visitors can worship without restriction. 
Authorities, however, have continued to deny Christian organizations made up of Moroccan citizens the right to establish new churches and to conduct Christian or civil marriage and funeral services. Reports have also documented social pressure on Moroccan Christian converts, including pressure from family members and friends to renounce their faith.
The U.S. State Department has reported that Moroccan Christian citizens have faced difficulties establishing churches and organizing Christian marriage and funeral services. Some have also chosen to worship privately because of concerns about government scrutiny or social pressure.
Morocco does not simply criminalize the act of becoming Christian. Its Penal Code also restricts attempts to “undermine the faith” of Muslims or encourage Muslims to convert to another religion.
The concerns raised by Christian organizations also have a history extending well beyond the current election.
In 2018, the Moroccan Christian Coordinating Group met with the country's National Council of Human Rights and presented a memorandum calling for greater recognition of Christian citizens' rights. 
The requests included freedom of worship as well as rights related to marriage, burial and the naming of children. A June 2023 meeting between the Coordination of Moroccan Christians and the National Council of Human Rights also addressed the rights of Moroccan Christian citizens and their concerns over freedom of belief and religious practice.
The groups have also sought to make the issue broader than the interests of a small religious community. Their argument is that Moroccan Christians should be able to enjoy equal citizenship without having to conceal their beliefs or depend on individual political figures to defend their rights.
Morocco's Constitution prohibits political parties based on religion and protects the country's Islamic identity. Political parties also operate in a society where Islam is overwhelmingly dominant. That makes public advocacy for the rights of Christian converts politically sensitive, particularly during an election campaign.
The reluctance described by Soussi is therefore significant. If parties are prepared to discuss the issue privately but unwilling to include it in their public programs, the Christian organizations' campaign could expose a gap between individual support for religious freedom and a willingness to make it an explicit political commitment.
The coming election may therefore provide a measure of how willing Morocco's political parties are to engage with the country's Christian citizens publicly.
With parties already finalizing their platforms, the immediate opportunity to secure formal commitments before the Sept. 23 vote may be narrowing. But the groups say their campaign will continue after the election.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Two Christians kidnapped as violence deepens fear in northern Cameroon]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/two-christians-kidnapped-as-violence-deepens-fear-in-northern-cameroon</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/two-christians-kidnapped-as-violence-deepens-fear-in-northern-cameroon</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5203.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Cameroon attacks by Boko Haram]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Open Doors ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Open Doors said the area has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram and related militant groups, with kidnappings, raids, killings, looting and destruction of property leaving Christian families living under persistent fear. ]]>
                                </media:description>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:23:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Two Christians have been kidnapped in northern Cameroon in the latest attack attributed to Boko Haram militants, prompting renewed concern over the safety of believers living in communities near the Nigerian border.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Two Christians have been kidnapped in northern Cameroon in the latest attack attributed to Boko Haram militants, prompting renewed concern over the safety of believers living in communities near the Nigerian border.
The two Christians were reportedly kidnapped on Aug. 10 when militants attacked the village of Mahoula in Mayo-Sava Division, according to Open Doors UK and Ireland. The victims belong to two different churches.
Open Doors said the area has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram and related militant groups, with kidnappings, raids, killings, looting and destruction of property leaving Christian families living under persistent fear.
The organization did not provide the names of the two kidnapped Christians or say whether a ransom demand had been made.
The latest abductions come as Christian leaders in northern Cameroon describe a community struggling not only with physical insecurity but also with the emotional and spiritual consequences of years of violence.
Pastor Babien, a church leader from nearby Amchidé, told Open Doors that Christians in the area face regular kidnappings, sexual assaults and attacks on church property.
“In the locality of Amchidé, the church is going through many difficulties,” he said.
“We see regular kidnappings and sexual assaults here. We experience the destruction of the church’s property. We face regular attacks.”
The pastor said the repeated violence was beginning to affect the faith and morale of believers.
“I would also like you to pray for us that our faith will not fail,” he said. “Because given these trials, at some point the flesh tells us to let go.”
His comments underline the wider impact of the insecurity. For Christians in the Far North, the threat is not limited to individual attacks. Families have been displaced, livelihoods disrupted and churches forced to operate in an environment where militants can strike communities with little warning.
Christian workers not spared
The latest kidnapping also follows a series of attacks against Christian religious workers elsewhere in Cameroon.
In June, five Catholic clerics and four civilians were reportedly kidnapped along the Bambui-Fundong road in the country's Northwest Region. The victims included priests, nuns and a Mill Hill missionary. The kidnappings occurred against the backdrop of the long-running conflict in Cameroon's Northwest and Southwest regions.
Days later, a priest and two Franciscan brothers who had been kidnapped in the Northwest Region were released, according to Fides. They had been abducted on June 27.
The incidents demonstrate that Christian leaders and ordinary believers face different forms of insecurity across Cameroon. In the Far North, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, remain major threats. In the Northwest and Southwest, Christians and church leaders are caught up in the country's separatist conflict.
Open Doors' latest assessment places Cameroon at No. 37 on its 2026 World Watch List, six places higher than the previous year. The organization says Christians face persecution from several sources, including Islamic extremist groups, government pressure, organized crime and corruption.
In northern Cameroon, Boko Haram and ISWAP have targeted Christian communities through village raids, church attacks, abductions and other forms of violence. Converts from Islam are considered particularly vulnerable.
The scale of the threat is reflected in Open Doors' 2026 Cameroon country dossier. It records an estimated 100 Christians abducted during its reporting period, although the organization cautions that many incidents go unreported and that such figures should be understood as minimum estimates. It also records an estimated 100 Christians killed and about 10,000 Christians internally displaced.
Despite the violence, Pastor Babien urged Christians and those supporting them not to abandon hope.
He asked for prayer for the families affected by attacks, including orphans and widows, and for the Christian community to remain strong. He also called for prayer for the militants themselves.
“We want them to be converted,” he said. “I would like you to help us in prayer, so that even those who persecute us believe. Because everything is possible with God.”
Open Doors is asking Christians to pray for the safe release of the two believers kidnapped in Mahoula, for their families and for the wider Christian community in Mayo-Sava.
The organization is also asking for prayer for peace, protection for vulnerable communities and transformation among those responsible for the violence.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Christians in Zanzibar continue worship despite growing threats, increasing attacks along Tanzania’s coast]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/christians-in-zanzibar-continue-worship-despite-increasing-attacks-along-tanzanias-coast</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/christians-in-zanzibar-continue-worship-despite-increasing-attacks-along-tanzanias-coast</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/52/5202.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Zanzibar]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Harvest Ministries ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Christian advocacy group Open Doors reported in its 2025 assessment that churches in Zanzibar and Tanzania’s coastal regions face difficulties organizing Christian activities, including inside their own places of worship. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 06:20:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The doors of some small churches in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago of Tanzania, have been broken, Bibles scattered and congregations left shaken. Yet Christians in several Muslim-majority communities continue to gather for worship despite fears of further attacks and growing social pressure.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The doors of some small churches in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago of Tanzania, have been broken, Bibles scattered and congregations left shaken. Yet Christians in several Muslim-majority communities continue to gather for worship despite fears of further attacks and growing social pressure.
A report published Aug. 6 by International Christian Concern said Christians in several coastal communities in Zanzibar continue to worship despite threats, harassment and occasional attacks.
Church leaders in Zanzibar, off Tanzania's coast, told the organization that the pressure extends beyond physical attacks and includes social pressure that can make Christians afraid to openly practice their faith.
The situation is particularly sensitive in Zanzibar and other coastal areas where Muslims form the majority of the population. While Tanzania’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on religion, rights groups say Christians in some parts of the country face restrictions that are not reflected in those constitutional protections.
Christian advocacy group Open Doors reported in its 2025 assessment that churches in Zanzibar and Tanzania’s coastal regions face difficulties organizing Christian activities, including inside their own places of worship. The group said congregations in these areas can face threats from local community leaders, radical groups and, at times, hostile authorities.
“Churches in Tanzania face significant hindrances in organizing Christian activities, even within their own places of worship,” Open Doors stated. It added that in Zanzibar and coastal regions, church gatherings are closely monitored and congregants can face harassment or intimidation that discourages regular attendance.
Open Doors also reported that at least 10 churches were attacked during its 2025 reporting period, with incidents recorded in Pemba, Unguja and other parts of Tanzania. The attacks included vandalism, arson and destruction. The organization said at least 100 Christians faced physical or mental abuse during the same reporting period, although it cautioned that many incidents go unreported.
The figures provide important context to the latest reports from coastal churches. The issue is not simply whether Christians can attend a Sunday service. In some communities, church leaders must consider whether their congregations can meet openly, whether new churches can be established and whether converts can participate without facing pressure from their families or wider communities.
Open Doors said obtaining legal status for churches can also be difficult, particularly in Zanzibar and coastal areas. Christian groups are required to register with authorities and can face additional scrutiny. The organization said registration procedures can be delayed or obstructed, leaving some churches vulnerable to accusations that they are operating illegally.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a religious freedom organization, has documented similar concerns.
In a November 2025 briefing, CSW reported that Christians in Zanzibar face restrictions when establishing places of worship. The organization stated that, in some cases, permission from the local community is required before a church building can be constructed, even though such a requirement is not part of the formal legal framework.
Several churches that had obtained the necessary permissions became involved in court cases, with hearings repeatedly postponed, according to CSW. It also reported that at least 24 church buildings had been destroyed in attacks by mobs over the years. 
Previous reports
One of the better documented incidents occurred in February 2020, when the Calvary Mission Church in Mwamboni was attacked by men armed with machetes, hammers and petrol, according to CSW. The wife of the pastor, Philemon Mafilili, was physically assaulted. The attackers returned several days later and attacked Mafilili, leaving him seriously injured and requiring hospital treatment.
Before those attacks, Mafilili had reportedly been warned by a local official to leave the area because the Muslim community did not want a church there, CSW reported.
The experience of churches in Zanzibar has also been described by Christian leaders themselves.
In a 2022 report published by International Christian Concern, Bishop Derick, whose name was changed for security reasons, said some Christians had been advised to stop meeting every Sunday because of fears of attack.
“The biggest obstacle to achieving equal religious judicial treatment is the concentration of Muslim judicial officers who take no action against the sectarian violence meted on the [Christian] Church,” he said.
Pastor Adam, also identified under a pseudonym for security reasons, described the wider situation as one of discrimination and exclusion.
“Zanzibar is still in the deep waters of religious discrimination and exclusion that affects Christians, for they are a minority group,” he said.
He added that Christians had repeatedly appealed to authorities to protect churches and believers.
“The church in Zanzibar has tried to implore the government to intervene and create a level ground where different faiths and places of worship are respected and protected by law,” Adam said. “This is still a dream and our daily prayer, and we shall not give up asking the Zanzibar authorities to protect believers from attacks orchestrated by the Arabic fundamentalists.”
CSW noted that both the Tanzanian and Zanzibari constitutions guarantee equality regardless of religion and protect freedom of conscience and religious choice. Tanzanian law also prohibits the intentional destruction or damage of places of worship.
The pressure on Christians also extends beyond church buildings. Open Doors reported that converts to Christianity in Zanzibar and other coastal areas can face social ostracism, harassment and threats because conversion may be viewed as a rejection of family and community identity. Churches that support converts can themselves become targets of hostility.
Tanzania's laws provide protections for religious freedom. Christian groups and rights organizations say those protections need to be enforced consistently, particularly in Zanzibar and other Muslim-majority coastal communities where Christians remain vulnerable to social pressure, restrictions and attacks.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[At least 27 killed in Zimbabwe church bus crash; President Emmerson Mnangagwa makes disaster declaration]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/at-least-27-killed-in-zimbabwe-church-bus-crash-president-emmerson-mnangagwa-makes-disaster-declaration</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/at-least-27-killed-in-zimbabwe-church-bus-crash-president-emmerson-mnangagwa-makes-disaster-declaration</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[The Christian Post]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[At least 27 killed in Zimbabwe church bus crash; President Emmerson Mnangagwa makes disaster declaration]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Manakin/iStock ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ map of Zimbabwe ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:42:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[At least 27 people were killed when a minibus taxi carrying members of a Christian congregation crashed head-on into a haulage truck in Zimbabwe. Seven others were hurt.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
At least 27 people were killed when a minibus taxi carrying members of a Christian congregation crashed head-on into a haulage truck in Zimbabwe. Seven others were hurt.
Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said in a statement that the truck was attempting to pass another vehicle when it struck the minibus taxi near Chivhu, roughly 87 miles south of the nation's capital, Harare, on Friday, according to DW.
The crash occurred at about 8:30 p.m. local time near Honeyspruit Bridge in Chikomba District, Mashonaland East Province, along the Harare-Masvingo Highway, according to the Zimbabwe Situation.
The truck carried foreign registration plates, meaning it was not licensed inside Zimbabwe. It was reportedly carrying mining equipment from South Africa, destined for Goromonzi district. 
Nyathi said the passengers belonged to a well-known indigenous African Christian denomination whose members typically wear white robes, and that they were headed to a conference when the crash happened in the night. He said the number of passengers aboard each vehicle was “unspecified.”
The congregation was later identified as the African Apostolic Church, also known as the Mwazha church, whose members were traveling from Dema to Ndarikure in Mvuma for a religious conference, according to Arabian Post.
It has been reported that the minibus was overloaded, carrying as many as 34 passengers.
ZBC, the state broadcaster, shared video showing the minibus taxi as a burned-out wreck, and local media circulated photographs of the crash site, according to AL.com.
A provincial government minister put the death toll at 23 at the scene, with the rest of the victims dying later at a hospital, ABC News reported. However, updated figures from Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe put the toll at 24 dead at the scene, with three more dying later at Chivhu General Hospital, according to allAfrica.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a State of Disaster in response to the crash, invoking Section 27(1) of Zimbabwe's Civil Protection Act. The declaration allows the government to mobilize resources and coordinate assistance for survivors and bereaved families, including covering medical expenses and burial costs, according to Arabian Post.
Overcrowded buses and minibus taxis are frequently involved in road accidents in Zimbabwe, which authorities often link to reckless driving and poor road conditions. Human error is blamed for 94% of the country’s crashes, officials say.
Privately run minibus taxis, called kombis, are a primary means of daily transport for many Zimbabweans. Operators are frequently accused of packing in more riders than permitted, and years of underfunding and neglect have left many roads pocked with potholes.
A minibus fire on a southern Zimbabwe highway in April left at least 18 people dead. Days earlier, a woman and her five children died when a haulage truck collided with their vehicle on a road linking Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Zimbabwe’s government moved to curb such accidents in 2024, restricting kombis with 26 seats or fewer to routes within about 37 miles of their permit areas, down from about 75 miles, and requiring public vehicles to install speed monitoring devices, according to the country’s Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry.
Officials said long-distance travelers should use buses instead, arguing that buses offer more legroom and baggage space than kombis.
The country’s national statistics agency has said Zimbabwe averages one road accident every quarter hour and at least five deaths a day, among the highest tolls on the continent.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimates that road crashes claim roughly 300,000 lives on the continent annually, about one-quarter of deaths from crashes worldwide. It says the continent’s fatality rate is the highest anywhere, even though Africa’s 1.5 billion residents own only about 3% of the planet’s registered vehicles.
Originally published by The Christian Post. ]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[United Bible Societies reports 148 million printed Scriptures distributed in 2025]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/united-bible-societies-reports-148-million-printed-scriptures-distributed-in-2025</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/united-bible-societies-reports-148-million-printed-scriptures-distributed-in-2025</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Childrens Bible Study]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ FatCamera/Getty Images ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 07:55:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The United Bible Societies distributed 148.3 million printed Scriptures last year as the mission celebrated its 80th anniversary, noting that 25 billion scriptures have been given out since its founding in 1946, including 1.1 billion Bibles across 240 countries.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The United Bible Societies distributed 148.3 million printed Scriptures last year as the mission celebrated its 80th anniversary, noting that 25 billion scriptures have been given out since its founding in 1946, including 1.1 billion Bibles across 240 countries.
The figure from the recently released “UBS Distribution Statistics Report 2025” includes 22.4 million full Bibles, 10 million New Testaments, and 115.9 million printed Scripture “portions and selections.”
“While printed Scriptures remain an essential part of Bible ministry, the report also reflects changing patterns in how people access God’s Word,” UBS said.
In the past decade, UBS has distributed 2.3 billion printed Scriptures, reflecting a “sustained commitment to making God’s Word available to people everywhere.”
“Bible distribution remains at the heart of our ministry because translation fulfils its purpose only when Scripture reaches people’s hands and hearts,” UBS said.
Digital scripture engagement is a key driver for reaching people with the Word of God.
Bible Society resources were downloaded 26.4 million times, with Bible chapters viewed 32.2 billion times - a 13.8% increase compared with the previous year. Audio Scripture was played 1.4 billion times.
“These figures demonstrate that people are increasingly engaging with the Bible through mobile devices and digital platforms, while printed Scriptures continue to play a vital role in many parts of the world,” UBS said.
The report also reviewed how Bible engagement differed in regions across the world. Distribution was highest in Central and South America with almost 98.5 million portions and selections.
Asia continued to show sustained demand for New Testaments and introductory Scripture resources, while Africa demonstrated balanced growth in Bible distribution.
This was lower in the West, but UBS said that people were engaging more via digital means in this region.
“North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania accounted for comparatively smaller volumes, suggesting that Bible engagement strategies in these regions may increasingly rely on digital access rather than print distribution,” UBS said.
Leading languages for printed full Bible distribution last year remained consistent with previous years.
“Spanish, Portuguese, English, Mandarin, and Indonesian continued as the top five languages, reflecting both population size and active Bible engagement initiatives in those linguistic communities,” UBS said. “Swahili, French, Tagalog, and Telugu also retained their positions within the top 10, while Korean replaced Arabic in 2025.”
Altogether, the top 10 languages represented 69% of global full Bible distribution, slightly lower than 71.8% in 2024.
English and Spanish were the top two languages for digital Bible chapter views last year, with almost equal shares. However, Portuguese also dominated.
“Within digital Bible downloads, Spanish and English rank second and third, respectively, while Portuguese leads with 62.7% of total downloads,” UBS said. 
“Portuguese is third behind English and Spanish in chapter views, with approximately 5.5 billion, or 17.1% of the total globally. French, Indonesian, and Chinese also remained major languages for digital distribution, reflecting both large language populations and strong digital Bible usage.”
For audio plays, Spanish and Portuguese led globally, together accounting for nearly three-fourths (72.9%) of all top language audio activity, followed by French and English, UBS said.
“Collectively, these figures demonstrate lives being touched, communities being strengthened, and the sustained commitment of Bible Societies to ensure everyone has an opportunity to read and hear God’s Word through access to Scripture,” UBS said.
“The statistics reflect both continuity and change. Rising printing and transport costs continue to affect print distribution, while digital platforms are opening new opportunities for people to read, hear, and engage with Scripture wherever they are. 
“Together, these trends reinforce the same enduring mission that has shaped the Bible Society movement for 80 years: ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to encounter God’s Word in a language and format they understand.”]]></content:encoded>
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